I told you in my Anything & Everything Friday post that I was planning to spend some good, quality time in the kitchen over the weekend. Let me tell you, I DID.
Donny was gone over the weekend and I happened to be quite productive in terms of blogging, cooking, and cuddling with the pups. I also made this Southwestern Quinoa Salad, but more on that later.
I am in the process of adding a new weekly post documenting both my weekly grocery shopping and my meal prep. A couple weeks ago I posted My Clean Eating Shopping List, but it didn’t really show how often and in what quantity I buy my foods. I also have taken pictures of my meal prepping, but the only thing you get to see is one day out of the week when I post Day in the Life: Mel’s Meals.
So Saturday morning I decided to make my grocery list. I needed a real list this time because I was hosting Mother’s Day breakfast and I was going to test out a couple new recipes. I didn’t want to forget something or not buy enough, so I made a real list. Woah, look at me.
I ran a couple errands, went to two different grocery stores (which is not typical of me), and made it to the gym to train back and chest.
My dad texted me right before I was heading to run errands and workout to see if I wanted to go golfing. The weather was getting a little rough out, so if we wanted to play we needed to go fairly quickly. I finally got home and unpacked all my groceries, then headed out to play 9 holes with him. It was super windy and the first time I used my new clubs! I loved them though and I shot a 42, which is 3-4 strokes down from what I normally shoot. AND it was the first round this year! I hope I keep that up……
After golfing I spent 2-3 hours in the kitchen playing around. One of the things I made was this Southwestern Quinoa Salad. I was invited over for dinner at our friend’s house (Donny was gone so I was going stag) and I said I’d bring a side dish. I had not made quinoa in forever, in fact, I haven’t bought quinoa in forever because I was trying to clean out all the other grains I’d accumulated. I was having mild withdrawals, so I made this salad to take for dinner.
I mentioned that the weather was getting yucky out and a few hours later it was even worse! We had several different tornados in Northeast Colorado on Saturday night. No Bueno. An hour or so before I was going to leave, I got a text message that the get-together was being postponed. No biggie, I was a little worried about pups in the storm anyway.
However, I now had 8 servings worth of Southwestern Quinoa Salad. Again, no biggie! Luckily, quinoa salad can sit in the fridge for several days and not go bad. I decided to throw it in for my meals throughout the week!
I love southwestern-style foods and I love mixing corn, black beans, and avocado! Yum!! This salad takes very little prep work and can be eaten as a vegetarian main course or for a side dish. I actually had some for dinner and topped it with a little diced chicken and Cholula. Nom nom nom.
For a little bonus flavor, I cooked the quinoa in beef broth rather than water. Chicken or vegetable broth would work as well. I used reduced sodium beef broth, so if you use regular then cut back on the added salt a bit. Feel free to use water to cook the quinoa too. It’ll still be delicious!
If you do not have quinoa then feel free to substitute brown rice, farro, wheat berries, millet, etc.
- 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1 cup beef broth, reduced sodium
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups sweet corn
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Cook quinoa according to package directions, replacing water with beef broth.
- While the quinoa cooks, combine all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Add quinoa and stir until evenly combined. Serve warm or chilled.
I could seriously eat this everyday! I love the fresh flavor even after a few days in in the refrigerator, it is still delish! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jill! I’m glad you liked it. Sometimes I think quinoa salads get better sitting in the fridge a few days!